Wednesday, December 23, 2009

A Great Opportunity for Busy Moms

I am so excited about the opportunity to connect with Audrey Cupo. She is a professional organizer who specializes in residential organizing. She focuses her business on helping busy moms and women entrepreneurs learn how to get and stay organized.

She’s been busy not only writing newsletters, blogs and articles on the subject of getting organized, she has produced a line of products called U Can Do It which were specially created to help busy moms.

Now, she has put together an exciting, new coaching program for busy moms called "Living A More Organized Life".

With this program, you will learn how to follow a proven step-by-step method to tackle and accomplish any project, be prepared for every special event, plan vacations and family time, make back to school a breeze, and learn how to relax and enjoy the holiday season by having step-by-step ways to do gift-giving, decorating, large family dinners/parties and overnight guests.

I will be holding a free tele-conference on Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time), where I will introduce Audrey to those of you who sign up and give you the opportunity to meet her. You will love what she has to offer! This information can be helpful to your friends so let them know about it too.

Don’t be one of those busy moms who misses out on the opportunity to learn how to live a more organized life! Sign up today at http://bit.ly/liaorganize so you can participate in this free tele-conference.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Success - It's Personal

It is easy to get caught up in the holidays and also all the noise about the economy. Yet, I believe we need to look at our lives not with the world's eyes but by our own measure of success.

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. Herman Cain

This year has been a challenging year to say the least. Many changes have occurred in my life that could have easily thrown me off course. What kept me from derailing? The truth that I love what I do. I live, eat and breath my work and love sharing with my clients. I like to say I am an entrepreneur at a cellular level. Pardon the baseball metaphor, but even when I am thrown a curve ball, I feel like I can hit a home run because I am in the game.

If you are not feeling that way, maybe you need to find a different game. I hope you feel like you can hit home runs no matter what is thrown at you. If not, look for another game.

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

End Your Year on A High Note

It is hard to believe it is December 1st. Thoughts of the holidays start to flood my head; baking cookies, buying and making gifts as well as time with family. It also reminds me that there is less time to accomplish all that we may have put on our list in the remaining time left. I wanted to share with you an article I found that may be an encouragement to you if you still feel like there is so much to do and so little time to do it in. It is called Seven Ways to End Your Year on a High Note by Leslie Cardinal.

In the meantime, do not fret. Even if you do not get it all done. Rejoice in what you have accomplished. And start to plan for next year. It is going to be great!

Saturday, October 03, 2009

The Ultimate in Customer Service

I am an old movie fan, and I am also a huge John Wayne fan. Whenever I get a chance I can be found watching one of his movies. Recently, I watched The Quiet Man and was struck by the opening scene - I have attached a link here for you - The Quiet Man

What does this have to do with Ultimate Customer Service? Notice as you watch how all John Wayne wants is directions to a town. The motley crew do their best to tell him how to go, but they are too busy with their own ideas, not really listening and thinking in their own little worlds (speaking local jargon). Then notice how quietly in the back ground someone comes along picks up his bag and then takes him to the town. He is a man of action - Ultimate Customer Service.

What can you do to provide Ultimate in Customer Service? Is there someone who just wants you to take them by the hand and make something happen? People will pay well for that level of service! Are you listening to your customers and giving them good information? Are you speaking in jargon?

If you haven't seen the movie, it is worth getting. It is a classic and a keeper. I find many parallels to business through out the movie, but it is also just a fun movie.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The Community Factor - Social Media

I have been trying to figure out something that probably has been blatantly obvious to the rest of the world, what is all the buzz about social media? Why is it growing like it is? It finally dawned on me; it allows anyone to create a community in minutes. Simple, right. Why is that important? You ask good questions, I will tell you. When it comes to marketing whether it is local or global, the rule of thumb is he who has the biggest list wins. The key is that the list should be targeted and focused. By joining a social media site such as Facebook and Twitter you become part of a large group of millions of users. Once you are a member you create subgroups or interest groups such as a Fan Page on Facebook. Once you have this Fan Page up you can get your friends to promote it for you and before long you can build a more focused list. At this point you have an opportunity to monetize your time and effort.

The whole key is building clusters of groups with similar interests or communities. Then add value and content to keep this community engaged. Once you do that you can start to share what you have to offer by way of products, seminars and services. Literally, when done well, you can be selling on the internet in weeks and months instead of years.

What kind of community do you want to build? What kind of community are you a member of? Now how can you apply this to what you do and how you do it?

Saturday, September 05, 2009

Where in the world . . .

It's been over three months since I posted. What' up with that? Well to be honest with you life got in the way. I am sure that happens to a lot of people who have great intentions of blogging on a regular basis.

So here I am in September, and I am getting the itch again. Yes I must post! First, let me share that the beauty of being a business owner is the flexibility it offers you. I have spent the summer taking care of my kids which included spending the summer dealing with specialists and labs to help deal with some medical issues. Why share that here? Because I was still able to maintain some business and take care of my family.

Second, being a business owner lends itself to the fast pace of life. After David was diagnosed, it became apparent to me that school this year was not an option. Hence, I will now be a business owner who homeschools her boys. They are thrilled, and I must admit, it is a blast. We are finding a grove, and I am planning my meetings around our family schedule.

So the moral for my post, if there is one, is stay flexible and be open. I am working on rearranging my business to fit my life, not trying to have my life fit my business.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Summer Time & The Living Is Busy

For an entrepreneurial mom Summer Time is anything by easy. For me it is a juggling act. I become torn with giving my boys the joy of a long, slow summer filled with fun and play as I had growing up. My dad was a college professor who took the Summers off. At the same time I am concerned and anxious about maintain the momentum of my business and a high level of customer service. If I could shut down for the summer and hang out at the pool I would, but that is not what I can do with the business that I have built. Hence the conundrum.

After much research, some soul searching and a lot of prayer I think I have come up with the best of both worlds -- my Summer Schedule. If everything works out as I have planned (she says with tongue in cheek) I will be mostly off on Mondays and Fridays and schedule my client meetings Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays. This gives me the flexibility to check in on work from home on M/F and be in the office all day on the other days. My clients get their needs met and I get my business satisfaction which is very important to me. But more important, my boys get three days of camp and fun and two days of uninterrupted mommy time. We all get to rest, work and play.

Being a business owner is all about choices and options. I hope you are enjoying exercising your business options and creating the lifestyle you want.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Networking - it works if you work it

It's funny how you do something for so long that you take it fore granted. There are times I feel I was born networking, but in reality I have been formally networking for about 17 years. Recently I have become very focused in my networking activities, and I have seen the fruits of my labor. At a recent meeting I was able to do a 10 minute presentation about my company and what I do; very relaxed gathering of women business owners. Just out of that 10 minute presentation I was able to fill a seminar for the following week. What is my point?

  • Networking works if you work it,
  • Have a plan and work the plan,
  • Know what you want to accomplish at your networking event, and
  • Follow up, follow up follow up.

I went to my meeting to share my story, tell what I do through stories and then I had a tangible offer that people could say yes to. Then I sent a follow up email thanking them for allowing me to share and repeating my offer. Three people signed up for my seminar. It works!

Friday, April 10, 2009

All a flutter for Twitter

Okay, I will admit I do not understand exactly how to use Twitter yet as a business tool to increase business, but I am enjoying the process of learning it. It is actually starting to grow on me. I have quickly gotten quite a few followers in a short time. I am also following quite a few myself. I love that it interfaces with Blogger and Facebook. Post once and distribute all over. Super idea! I like that I have to learn to be concise in my thoughts and judicious in my words. The more I spend on line trying to understand the cyber world, the more I realize just how small the world is and we truly are a global community. So why does there have to be so much war.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

JV - Joint Ventures - A new beginning . . .

As I continue to grow, I continue to be amazed at all the awesome collaborations that are out there to be had. Today I started the process of a joint venture with a fellow business owner. We have similar backgrounds and passions. In just one hour at Paneras we realized we were onto something pretty special. I can't give you details right now, but it is going to be pretty awesome. What I can tell you is that it will change the lives of women everywhere that are trying to do the seemingly impossible - create a life of choice for themselves and their families. Stay tuned to hear more. . .

Lessons from my Launch

I have learned a lot about myself and how to launch a program. Mostly I learned that I can do it. Yeah!! I am enjoying the process as much as the outcome. My most recent discovery is that you need to have an enrollment form ready at the end of the introductory session to allow people to make a decision to buy. I had a flyer and then scheduled a follow up session. I realized that prolonged the process and was not a clear enough call to action. I love that I am not too old to learn and I that I am still enjoying the process.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Jim Rohn

Here is a classic quote from Mr. Rohn:

For things to change you've got to change. Otherwise, nothing much will change.


I am always working on improving myself. I do that by reading great books, listening to great books, watching great movies and spending time with people better than myself. I recommend you surround yourself with the best, read a lot and be open to becoming a better person.

Monday, March 09, 2009

Understanding and Harnessing Fear


Today I hit a brick wall. It was a small wall, but a wall none the less. As soon as I saw it, I got on the phone and called a trusted business colleague. I needed to be talked over the wall. She was amazing! Thank you Tammy!. Here is what she said in a capsule. She refined it down to this quote:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." The above speech by Nelson Mandela was originally written by Marianne Williamson who is the author of other similar material."

Now I know what I must do. Even more important, I know what I must help my clients' do.

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

The Wall -- The Business Marketing Gym -- The Launch

I have been so proud of myself for pushing through some major fear. I know a lot of you may not experience this, but I must admit, every day I face a new and daunting task in building my business. In the past I never noticed the fear. But when it hit, I would find a way to stop what I was doing so the fear would go away. Then came the concept and potential launch of the Business Marketing Gym. Oh my! I had a knot in the pit of my stomach that felt like it was trying to come up my throat. I did not know what to do with the real physical pain. At first I thought I was getting sick and then it occurred to me that I felt it at certain times and they all related to the escalation of the realization of my Gym.

Here is the good news, I moved through it and got past it. I took some antacid to make sure I did not really get sick and to alleviate the pain and then I kept on pushing toward the goal. I have now had two introductory sessions. Both were well attended. I have had several follow ups after to discuss the Business Marketing Gym with my attendees. I am well on my way to filling a program. I have three slots filled and more introductory sessions in the works.

For me the launch was a success. Why? Because I did it even though every cell in my body was fighting me on it. It showed me that anything can be done with persistence. When I looked back at what was different this time from times in the past where I may not have succeeded, the answer was clear. I had created a support group of believers who have been checking in on me and working with me to help me realize my goals.

Lesson, even if you are alone in your business, you do not have to do it alone. Create a team, and advisory council to help you think bigger than yourself and to help you stay accountable to yourself. Powerful, powerful tool - I now know I never have to do this alone again.

Monday, February 16, 2009

The Launch Continues

Today was our Inner Circle meeting. It was great! First, I was prepared with an agenda, and I had discussed the agenda with my key players to make sure it was comprehensive. All my team members showed up, that alone was amazing. Then we had an amazing dialog about the program, the roles and expectations of the team. We were able to discuss any potential bombs that may blow up as well as all the wonderful possibilities. I think everyone walked away with a greater understanding of what the next steps are and their roles in the launch.

This Inner Circle concept has been probably the most pivotal piece to my puzzle, the one that had been missing. Here is what it does and why it is important to my launch. In the past when I tried to launch this program, it was like I was creating something out of thin air. I remember the few meetings I held in the previous launches. There were only two to four people. There was no energy, not excitement and no buy in. In fact, some of the people that were there were there free just have a warm body in the room. Now, when I set up the introductory sessions, and I have the actual Gym meetings, I will have a strong core group in the room. They will serve many roles:

  • They are inviting future Business Marketing Gym members;
  • They are going to break the awkward silences when they arise;
  • They will ask the questions that others may feel too timid to ask until the group gets comfortable with each other; and
  • They will edify me as the facilitator of the group because they are already bought in.

I am excited and already know that with the team of people we have assembled, we are going to create something magical.

I will keep you posted.

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Anatomy of a Launch

The launch is underway. I have read about launches and witnessed launches but this is my first official launch. So far it has way exceeded my expectations. I wanted to share with you my strategy for the launch of my Business Marketing Gym and the results because not only might it help someone, but I think it has been an interesting experience.

After getting my concept together and putting my ideas on paper, my first step was to share the idea with a business partner. He gave me some great feedback, and we ended up in an amazing mastermind session. I totally reworked the project. He suggested to have a "soft launch" with some of my key clients and contacts. Basically run it up the flag pole and see how it goes. I made a list of 6 individuals that I trusted and felt would add value to the process. I sent out an cryptic email and invited each of them to meet with me to hear my idea. In the email I said I considered them part of my inner circle and wanted them to be part of a great project I was putting together. Within two days of the email, I had five appointments.

As of this date, I have had two appointments. The first inner circle member signed up on the spot. The second one needed time to process and was positive about what he saw.

Next I have planned a meeting of the people who chose to become part of my Inner Circle or Charter Members of the Business Marketing Gym. There we will go over strategies for the full launch as well as implementation.

I have also scheduled three introductory sessions. This is getting very exciting. I will keep you posted on how it goes.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Jim Rohn, “The Treasury of Quotes”

“Could creating your character be likened to an artist creating a sculpture? In my opinion, I believe that character is not something that just happens by itself, any more than a chisel can create a work of art without the hand of an artist guiding it. In both instances, a conscious decision for a specific outcome has been made. A conscious process is at work. Chara cter is the result of hundreds and hundreds of choices you make that gradually turn who you are, at any given moment, into who you want to be. If that decision-making process is not present, you will still be somebody. You will still be alive, but may have a personality rather than a character.”

Where in the world is . . . ?


No I did not disappear. I just took some time to take stock, focus and take care of my family. Here is the beauty of having a business that you can run from either home or the office. I had a sick house and lots of winter breaks. I may have been silent, but I certainly wasn't unproductive. In fact, this has been some of my most productive time. I have had time to squeeze in several MasterMind sessions over the past three months. During those sessions, I have crystallized my vision for my business and am proud to announce the first official meeting of my Business Marketing Gym is on February 16th. It is so exciting, I am not sleeping at night. I love when that happens. I will keep you posted on the success and challenges of launching and implementing my first coaching club.